Register a death

A death that has occurred in the London Borough of Hounslow must be registered within five days unless it has been referred to the coroner. Where the death has been referred to the coroner, it cannot be registered until the registrar has received written authority from the coroner.

All death registrations are by appointment only

Only qualified informants can register a death:

a relative of the deceased

a person present at the death

the person arranging the funeral

the occupier of the home or hospital.

Documents you need to bring with you

You must bring the medical certificate of cause of death given to you by the certifying doctor, otherwise the registrar will be unable to complete the registration. If the death has been referred to the coroner, the coroner will send the paperwork required for the registration directly to the registrar.

Please note that you are not legally required to bring these documents but if you do, it will ensure that the registration is completed accurately.

You will need to know the following information:

the date and place of death

the deceased's full name and surname (and the maiden surname if the deceased was a woman who had married or formed a civil partnership)

the deceased's date and place of birth (town and county if born in the UK, and country if born abroad)

the deceased's occupation and the name and occupation of their spouse or civil partner

the deceased's last (usual) address

whether the deceased was getting a pension or allowance from public funds

and if the deceased was married or a civil partner, the date of birth of the surviving widow, widower or civil partner.

If English is not your first language, feel free to ask a friend or relative to come with you, but you must register the death in person.

Upon completion of the registration, you will receive a certificate for burial or cremation, which is known as the Green Form (unless the coroner has already issued an order for burial or a certificate for cremation) it should be taken to the funeral director so that the funeral can take place.

Corrections

If you have discovered an error in a death record, it may be possible to arrange for the entry to be corrected by means of a marginal note at the bottom of the entry. The type of correction required depends entirely on what information needs to be changed. Some errors can be authorised by the register office; others will require authorisation by the General Register Office.

There are statutory fees to consider any correction. This fee is payable to the Register Office at the time you submit the application and any documentary evidence required. Please note the statutory fees are for consideration of a correction and not the outcome. There is also a fee for each certificate requested that shows the correction note.

Consideration by Registrar/Superintendent Registrar of a correction application £75.00
Consideration by the Registrar General of a correction application £90.00

Tell Us Once

The registrar will offer you the Tell Us Once service, enabling you to inform multiple local and central government departments of the death in one contact.

A Certificate of Registration of Death (BD8) - this is for Social Security purposes only. If you are using the Tell us Once service the state pension will be informed automatically. If not, you will need to use this form to notify them of a change in circumstances. There is no charge for the death registration or the Tell Us Once service.

Fees

If you require death certificates, any number of these may be purchased on the day of registration for a cost of £11.00 each.

Customers who wish to register a death that occurred outside the London Borough of Hounslow should attend the register office of the borough or district in which the death occurred.

Order a death certificate

You can order a death certificate from us on line or by post, if the death occured in the London Borough of Hounslow.

You can apply in writing by sending us a letter with the full name and surname of the deceased and the date and place of death. Please ensure you include a contact telephone number, enclose your fee and a stamped address envelope

The fee for a death certificate is £11.00. Cheques or postal orders should be made payable to the London Borough of Hounslow.

Postal applications are processed approximately 5 workings days from receipt of application. Certificates are posted first class using the Royal Mail Postal Service (we do not charge for postage).We are currently unable to accept credit card telephone applications.

We are unable to provide certificates if you only have a volume and page number, quarter and district. These are the unique index reference for the General Register Office (GRO) and you should direct your application to them. www.gro.gov.uk

Service and charges for applications made in person:

You will be required to complete an application form.

Next working day service: £35.00

Certificates are ready for collection the following day from 3pm (collections on Wednesday between 12-1pm as the offices closes at 1pm).

Cemeteries and Crematoriums

The cemetery service provides for burial of many faiths, religions and beliefs thereby reflecting the multicultural blend of Hounslow.